The present invention relates to a battery dispenser for housing and dispensing batteries. The invention also relates to a refill containing batteries that can be inserted and removed from the battery dispenser.
Button cell batteries, which can be used to operate small devices such as hearing aids, for example, can be difficult to remove from their packaging and to insert into a device in a proper orientation because of their small size. Metal-air button cell batteries, for example, are activated upon contact with oxygen, and therefore have a tab system that covers an air entry port of the metal-air cell prior to use. The tab system functions to limit the transport of water vapor in or out of the cell and limits the ingress of air into the cell sufficient to activate the battery until such time as the cell is placed into service. Therefore when the batteries are removed from the dispenser the tab system is removed and the ports are exposed to the oxygen of the ambient environment, thereby enabling the cell to be activated. The handling of these batteries in removing them from the battery dispenser, removing the tab system, and inserting the batteries into the a device can be difficult, especially in the event a user suffers from reduced dexterity, poor vision or another physical infirmity.
Efforts to address some of these issues are found in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,700 discloses a packaging that includes a thermoformed or molded blister rotatably attached to a paperboard card. A battery is dispensed from the package by rotating the blister to align a loaded compartment with a trap door accessible in the back of the card. However, the consumer must handle the battery to remove the tab, properly orient the battery with respect to the device terminals and insert it into the device once the battery has been removed from the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,185 discloses a device for inserting a hearing aid battery into a hearing aid. The tab system is removed as the cell is removed from its packaging; however, the method of separating the cell from its associated tab system places stresses on the hearing aid device and can cause damage to the device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,799 B1, U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,176 B2 and WO02/20371 A1 disclose battery dispensers that enable the user to remove product from a battery dispenser without having to handle the product at any point during the dispensing process or during a process which inserts the battery in an end use device.
None of the above references, however, address the need for a battery dispenser to accommodate batteries of different physical sizes. It is therefore desirable to provide a dispenser that can house and dispense batteries of different physical sizes and to accommodate refills containing batteries of different physical sizes.